= A Serial Introduction Part 3=Winners of ITU-AJ Encouragement Awards
In May every year, the ITU Association of Japan (ITU-AJ) proudly presents ITU-AJ Encouragement Awards to people who have madeoutstanding contributions in the field of international standardization and have helped in the ongoing development of ICT.
These Awards are also an embodiment of our sincere desire to encourage further contributions from these individuals in the future.
If you happen to run into these winners at another meeting in the future, please say hello to them.
But first, as part of the introductory series of Award Winners in 2014, allow us to introduce some of those remarkable winners;

Kimihiko Kazui

FUJITSU LABORATORIES LTD.
kazui.kimihiko@jp.fujitsu.com http://jp.fujitsu.com/group/labs/en

Video coding

H.265 standardization activity in JCT-VC
Currently I am participating in the activities of the JCTVC, a joint organization of ITU-T Q6/16 and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 (MPEG), for the standardization of H.265 (a.k.a.
High efficiency Video Coding, HEVC). H.265 is designed fornext generation video applications such as ultra-high definition
TV (4K/8K) and achieves coding efficiency twice that of its
predecessor, H.264.
On this occasion, I received the 2014 ITU-AJ Encouragement
Award for my contribution to H.265 standardization, and inparticular, for the specification of the ultra-low latency operationmode.
Emerging real-time video applications such as remote robot
operation need very low video transmission delay of less than one
frame interval (e.g. 16 ms for 60 Hz video), but existing standards

Takato Kawamurasuch as H.264 do not specify an ultra-low latency operation mode.
As a result, interoperable ultra-low delay video communication has
not been possible.
To solve this problem, I spent a year proposing to JCT-VC,
that an ultra-low latency operation mode be supported. This
operation mode was adopted in the H.265 draft in 2012.
JCT-VC is now working on an extension to H.265 for new
video applications such as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
In parallel with this extension work, activity has been launched
for a future new video coding standard. This future standard istargeted for the forthcoming telecommunication environment
enabled by 5G network technology, in around 2020.
I will continue my standardization work in ITU for enhancing
our life through video technologies.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
kawamura.t-gc@nhk.or.jp http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

ITU-R SG6, WP6A

My experience in ITU-R activity and contribution to future broadcasting
technology for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, 2020

My international standardization activities in the field ofbroadcasting spectrum at the International Telecommunication
Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and WorldRadiocommunication Conferences (WRC) began in 2010. My
contribution to ITU-R Working Party 6A on broadcasters’ role inthe Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 became a part ofReport ITU-R BT.2299. It drew attention to the importance ofbroadcasting in emergency situations and Japanese broadcasting
technologies such as the Earthquake Early Warning Systemand “One-seg” mobile TV, which notified people of the disaster
quickly. Sharing our experience and technologies in the ITU-R

was highly regarded. In addition, I was also involved in frequency
sharing studies related to WRC-12 agenda items. These involved
protection of the Broadcasting Auxiliary Service (WRC-12Agenda Item 1.25) and radio microphones (WRC-12 AgendaItem 1.15).
Broadcasters use wide range of radio-frequency bands, suchas AM radio in medium frequency band, radio microphones inhigh frequency, terrestrial TV service in ultra high frequency, andsatellite TV service in super high frequency. This requires us tohave wide ranging knowledge regarding the various frequencies.
Also, in the sharing studies in these various frequency bands

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between services related to the broadcasting and other services,reaching mutual understandings between experts in these services
was the real challenge for me.
Japan has completed migration of television from analogue todigital. In preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in

2020, new challenges have just begun in the further developmentof broadcasting technologies such as 8K Super Hi-Vision andHybridcast. I will devote myself to the development of thesebroadcasting technologies and promote the latest Japanesetechnology internationally through ITU activities.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Yasuji Sakaguchi sakaguchi.y-fs@nhk.or.jp http://www.nhk.or.jp/corporateinfo/

Design and maintenance of digital terrestrial broadcasting networkEmergency Warnings, Anywhere and Anytime— Proposal and standardization of an Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS) suited tobroadcasting conditions in Central and South America —The Japanese digital terrestrial broadcasting format(ISDB-T) has been adopted by 17 countries in South and Central
America and around the world. I was in Peru for three years
starting in September, 2009, as a JICA expert supporting theirimplementation of ISDB-T. I engaged in a wide range of activities,
including consolidating their frequency plan and broadcast
network, and educating broadcasting technologists.
I put particular effort into supporting implementation of theEmergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS) using digitalterrestrial TV. Peru is a major earthquake country, so there isgreat interest in EWBS, and strong demand for my support.
However, emergency bulletins on television were not common
in Central and South America, so the implementation had to becustomized to suit local broadcasting conditions. After a long
period of surveys and studies, we proposed a simple emergency
warning system using text captions. The ISDB-T InternationalForum, an organization of countries that have adopted ISDB-T,
is conducting standardization activities to harmonize the processof implementing digital terrestrial broadcasting in the overall

Central and South American region. Within it, I was thefounding chairman of the EWBS working group, and completed
the international agreement to use my proposed format as theinternational standard.
Initially, people in Peru touted ISDB-T as a magic box, thatwould “give us early warning of earthquakes through digitaltelevision...,” but the implementation was not so simple. The
format had to be customized, standardized, operating rules
created, and transmitter and receiver equipment developed andintroduced to market. There were many things to be done. I had
to explain to the people of Peru how cooperation was necessary ateach step, in order to implement the system. In spite of difficulties
due to differences in language and culture and as a result ofcontinuous and persevering activity, the EWBS standard wasfinally settled.
In the future, I want to continue efforts to support
implementations of EWBS throughout the world, and work topromote and spread its advancement.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Hitoshi Sanei sanei.h-fg@nhk.or.jp http://www.nhk.or.jp/corporateinfo/
ITU-R SG6 WP6A, ABU, ARIB/DiBEG

Standardization at ITU-R and Overseas Promotion Activities
through the ABU and ARIB

In the ITU-R Working Party 6A, I did work including
addition of interference protection ratios for ISDB-T and IMT
to the planning criteria Recommendation for digital terrestrial
broadcasting, and created new Recommendation on planning
criteria for terrestrial multimedia broadcasting for mobile
reception using handheld receivers such as ISDB-Tmm. In theAsia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), I was project leader for
Mobile Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, a technical committee
transmission topic area, and there gave reports on trends regarding

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One-Seg, multimedia broadcasting, and area One-Seg in Japan.
In the Digital Broadcasting Experts Group (DiBEG) of theAssociation of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), I worked
on customizing technical standards and operating guidelines
for countries like the Philippines and Botswana, which haverecently adopted ISDB-T. On one hand, we are spreading theISDB-T systems recommended by ITU-R overseas, but we arealso working to revise ITU-R Recommendations on planning
criteria for existing digital terrestrial television services, to deal

with broadcast bandwidth in newly adopting countries and otherbroadcasting systems in neighboring countries.
Currently, I am engaged in the promoting adoption ofbroadcast services such as Hybridcast and 4K/8K broadcasts.
Regarding Hybridcast using HTML5, we are introducing its
status in Japan, which is advanced in this area compared to othercountries, through ABU-hosted workshops on operation andpromotion of integrated broadcast-broadband services. We arealso extending domestic services and publishing information foroverseas markets.

With 8K Super Hi-Vision, we have various initiatives to start
test satellite broadcasts in 2016, start satellite broadcasts in 2018,and spread it in a major way for the 2020 Olympic Games inTokyo, for which planning has begun. For example, we are actively
holding public viewings within Japan and abroad to give more
people experience ultra-realistic viewing.
By deploying these services successfully in Japan, we believe it
will contribute to deploying Hybridcast and 8K Super Hi-Vision,
as standardized by ITU-R, overseas as well.

BHN Association

Fumie Fukushima fukushima@bhn.or.jp http://www.bhn.or.jp/official/english
International Cooperation

Telecom for Humanitarian Support Activities at BHN
Since I joined BHN in 1997, I have been involved ininternational collaboration. I did not have much experienceor specialist knowledge in information and communications
technology (ICT) or international cooperation. Therefore, in myfirst few years of being involved in support activities, I endured
many hardships with providing initial response assistance activities
in disaster-hit areas and other dangerous areas. However, throughwide-ranging experiences, I was truly able to learn a lot.
When providing disaster relief for earthquakes and tsunamis,
it is necessary to obtain permission from the disaster-hit country’s
government before starting activities. Even though it is an
emergency situation, permission is necessary for things like NGO
registration, using transceivers, and setting up FM radio stations.
Additionally, the difficulty of doing this depends on the country’s
disaster conditions, level of confusion, and level of acceptance of
support organizations. The ability to hire local staff that havea lot of experience and good connections has a large effect on
the success of such activities, so discretion is needed in hiring
personnel.
At the time in which our other project involving building
wireless networks in medical facilities in Afghanistan was being
carried out, there were many incidents of suicide bombings, as wellas kidnappings and abductions of foreign NGO staff. Therefore,
extreme care was taken regarding safety measures while carryingout these life-or-death activities. Once public order was restored

and on-site work could resume, we still had to be careful every day
to wear the same clothing as local women, travel in vehicles withbullet-proof glass, and watch for disorder on the roads.
We put our things in order before leaving Japan, and when
we arrived at a stopover such as Dubai or New Delhi on the way
home, I can remember the indescribable feelings of relief andrelease I felt, thinking, “Well, it looks like I’ll get home safely
now…”
Although I have told many stories of adversity, last year
we received a wonderful report that a graduate of our firsthuman resource training session was appointed Chairmanof the Uzbekistan National Committee on Information andCommunication Technologies (equivalent to a Cabinet Minister inJapan). This feels like a real success after many years of hopes andefforts from past chairmen and leaders.
As BHN approaches its 25th Anniversary, those that havebeen involved with the work will inevitably repeat past mistakes
and regrets, but our activities continue to advance as continuing
training and post-project monitoring become more emphasized.
We will continue to build cooperation with many NGOs,
telecommunications organizations, and organizations forinternational cooperation as we continue our activities. Throughthis, we hope to increase the number of people who care about
these activities.

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